Little Language Review, Nashville Parent Magazine

New parents often wonder,"When is she going to start talking?" What many don't realize is that speech development and language acquisition begin well before a child actually uses words. With Little Language for Little Ones, parents can help develop communication skills from the word go. The CD - which was produced in Nashville - features 20 original songs that focus on learning colors, numbers, body parts, etc., as well as expressing feelings and following simple commands. The sweet, simple songs are great for sing-alongs or car trips. The uncomplicated instrumentation enables children to hear the beat more easily - a pre-reading skill that helps them begin reading earlier. LaVergne resident and speech-language pathologist Laura Dyer spent nine years working with adults and children and their families before beginning her own family. She wrote the Little Language for Little Ones booklet in response to questions most often asked by new parents. Clear, easy-to-understand explanations tell how to enhance speech and language skills in each stage of a child's development from birth to age 5. The booklet features detailed information on stimulating language development in babies - detailed in two-month stages up to age 1 - as well as instruction in using music and song to help children expand vocabulary and further developm speaking skills. Little Language for Little Ones is a fascinating read for those interested in how children learn to speak, and it's a must-have for parents who want to help develop their children's communication skills. - Ashley R. Crownover

Four and 1/2 Stars out of Five!

ALL-Star Review of Little Language by Irene Helen Zundel
October, 2001

Product Title: Little Language Songs For Little Ones
Ages: Birth to 5
Suggested Retail Price: CD $14.95 Tape $9.95
Rating: G
Synopsis: This is a musical CD of 20 songs designed to help children master important speech and language skills before they start school. The tunes are short, fun, and designed to be both sung and acted out. While the songs are used to aid children with speech difficulties, such as lisping or mispronouncing of key sounds, they are great for all children in my opinion. The songs teach a myriad of useful things, such as expressing your emotions, holiday words, manners, counting, letter sounds, foods, and animals. By doing the dances that accompany some songs, children learn to follow commands and develop their coordination. Along with the CD, I also read a companion book, "Little Language For Little Ones"written by speech-language pathologist Laura Dyer. It contains a wealth of helpful information, written in easy to understand language for the average parent. She gives a crystal clear synopsis of what children should be able to pronounce and what concepts they should know at various ages. She also gives great suggestions how to encourage kids to communicate with you and others. Also included are the lyrics to all the songs and a brief introduction of what speech problems the song corrects, or what language skills they teach. The book sells for $12.95. You can utilize and enjoy the CD without the book, but I would highly recommend that you purchase them both. I think this is an educational product of great value to ALL children, not just those who are having speech difficulties. The entertainment and replay value is excellent, and it is a wonderful educational tool as well. To learn more, I suggest that you visit their website as well at http://littlelanguage.com.
Reviewed by Irene Helen Zundel
Ms. Zundel is a freelance writer and homeschooling mother. She specializes in writing entertaining educational material for children in grades K-12. Visit her website at www.fadco.net/~artwhiz.

Educational Clearinghouse, March, 2002 Three Stars out of Three!

"A baby begins to learn language skills from birth. As they hear your voice, and the words being expressed around them, they begin to identify them, single them out and this entire process works together to in the future teach them to talk. Laura Dyer, Certified Speech Pathologist, has developed this set, to enrich this natural process and bring your child to the world of communication faster and easier, by being exposed to this wonderful music cd, full of 20 original, beautifully done songs. The set includes a CD, Book and a Castanet. The Castanet allows a child to begin to express their rhythm and have an instrument of their own to play. It will also help to develop their motor skills, as they figure out how to work them properly. The CD has 20 original songs, that help a child to learn new words, rhythm, timing and a love for music. You will enjoy this cd as well, it is very well done and the songs are enjoyable. The book is a 72 page guide, for parents. It helps you to know how to best use this program with your child, to reap the full benefits it has to offer. This book explains speech & language development from birth to five tears. The book provides easy to follow charts, activities, methods for helping you, help your child, and many other great points of reference every parent will enjoy knowing as they watch and help their child develop in the area of speech. Very well written, easy to follow and understand. You will find this is a great resource for your child's first five years. It helps you stay on top of where your child should be, where they currently are and how to help them develop the next steps of language. Laura offers a wonderful package here, and I know you will enjoy it. Great to give as a gift to a new mother, or to buy for yourself. Her experience and expertise in this field, brings to the table many easy to use and fun to discover resources for you and your child. From musical activities to enhance speech development, to activities you can have fun with in the car - the four chapters within this book have something for everyone - I know you will love it and so will your little one. So many children, once they enter school, are labeled as learning disabled, because they are delayed in their speech development. Why take the chance of this happening with your child - help them stay on target or ahead of the crowd, by learning simple ways to help them enter the world of communication".

Review #2 by Ildiko Baugus, Homeschool Mom, Review Member - Education Clearinghouse
Three Stars out of Three!

Product Rating: GREAT "Little Language for Little Ones includes a CD with 20 original songs, a 72 page parents guide with the words to the songs and a fun plastic character castanet. Initially when I looked over this program I thought it contained information that I already knew through previous reading or things that I was already doing with my children. Then my son, who is three, came across the package. He couldn't contain his excitement because he wants to do ?school' like his big sister. Well after trying to delay him until after lunch we listened to the CD and I gave him the castanet and he had the best time. I think a lot of times we tend to look at programs with a skeptical eye as a parent but we forget to look at a program through our children's eyes and what they would enjoy. My son loved the songs and learned several of them that first day. There are several songs that have accompanying hand motions which encourage active participation. I initially thought that some of the songs may be too fast for little ones but once again it didn't seem to bother my son. The castanet is cute and was very appealing to both of my children (translation: they fought over it). The castanet is available as several different animals depending on what your child likes. The parents guide had a lot of really good information concerning speech development and things you can do to encourage proper pronunciation. The book is very well written and easy to understand. You can easily go through this book in an afternoon. There is, however, a lot of information contained in the book so you will want to refer to it often. I can easily recommend this book for anyone with children ages birth to 5 years. I find the price to be excellent for all the information that you receive. It is a great little program. My son enjoys is it so much that he asks to listen to the CD daily and is continuing to learn the songs and improve his ability to do the hand motions."

Frank Fogg Reviews April, 2002

Little Language for Little Ones
Rated 4 1/2 out of 5 !
Little Language for Little Ones is a course for helping infants and developmentally delayed toddlers with developing language skills. This title consists of a cassette tape and instructional guide and is currently available directly from the publisher. This program uses music to help the child learn the basic sounds that make up our language. Each song focuses on developing a particular sound group by emphasizing and rhyming words using sounds from the group. The songs themselves are melodic and simple enough in structure to capture the limited attention span of children in this age group. The guide that is included with this program explains basic strategies for helping your child to develop language skills at each stage of development. Ms. Dyer clearly explains which skills are considered normal at every age in the group, and also develops strategies to assist the child should they only have trouble with certain sounds or words. The Little Language program was developed by a speech pathologist and can be used as a tool to assist with early childhood language skills development. The songs that form the backbone of the program and lively, melodic and age appropriate while also helping the child learn specific sounds and words. The accompanying guide is written so as to be accurate, yet explains each concept in simple terms that any adult can quickly grasp.

The Midwest Book Review April, 2002

Little Language Songs for Little Ones
Written by communication disorders and speech-language pathologist Laura Dyer, Little Language for Little Ones is an immensely practical guide for parents of young children ages birth to 5 years to help develop their children's speech through professional techniques and music. Simple, step-by-step techniques and resourceful guidelines abound to encouraging and nuturing verbal skills. Companion "Little Language" Songs can also be obtained separately on CD ($14.95) or Cassette (9.95). Little Language for Little Ones is an excellent, useful, and practical reference for parents as well as a superb gift for baby showers or toddler birthdays

Parent's Guide Review of Little Language by Katie Hoffmaster, Commercial Music, Shenandoah University Conservatory
November 27, 2001

Title: Little Language Songs For Little Ones
"Mark and Laura Dyer have come up with a 20 song collection of speech enhancing musical selections for infants and toddlers. This is a great way for moms, dads, and kids to have some good quality time for learning and having fun. Laura Dyer, a speech-language pathologist with a master's degree in communication disorders, provides a helpful guidebook on how to utilize each song as an educational device. The book also offers helpful hints and answers to the questions many parents may have about their child's speech and language development. For more on this and other Little Language products, visit www.LittleLanguage.com".
Reviewed by Katie Hoffmaster
Commercial Music, Shenandoah University Conservatory

Bookviews.Com Review by Alan Caruba, February, 2002

My Picks of the Month
"Amidst the endless flood of new books every month, there are always a few that stand out because of their topic... Laura Dyer is mother of two and a speech-language pathologist who has written Little Language for Little Ones ($12.95, Little Language, PO Box 161, LaVergne, TN 37086) a companion to Little Language Songs that also comes on cassette for $9.95 and is available at www.littlelanguage.com. Some parents worry if a child is slow to show language recognition or skills. These books and the cassette teach how to encourage your baby to make early sounds, even before words are expected. The concept she describes is easy to learn and will give any baby a fast track to language skills."

School Library Journal, March 2002

Little Language Songs for Little Ones. 1 cassette or 1 CD. Little Language. 2001. 40:05 min. cassette: $9.95, CD: $14.95; also avail. 72-pg. paperback book: $12.95. PreS-K-Developed by a speech pathologist to help children learn language skills, this recording of 20 original songs will be appreciated by young children and their care-givers. Laura Dyer's voice is pleasant, but sometimes the lyrics are not clear, minimizing the recording's usefulness as a language learning tool. Among the songs are "An Undersea Adventure," "Can You Count to Ten?," "Changing Seasons," "Good Manners Are the Key," "Celebrate the Holidays," and "a Trip to the Fair." The most successful songs incorporate children's voices that respond to lyrics sung by Dyer. Songs emphasize such concepts as letter sounds, the months of the year, healthy eating, and identification and movement of body parts. The speech techniques the songs are designed to reinforce are part of the approach Laura Dyer has developed as a speech pathologist;an accompanying book and Web site (www.litlelanguage.com) provide details. Parents worried about their children's speech development may appreciate the idea of language instruction, and preschool and kindergarten teachers will find many ways to incorporate the songs into their lesson plans. Youngsters are likely to enjoy the songs regardless of their intended educational value, making this a solid choice for early childhood music collections."-Rachel Quenk, Thomas Memorial Library, Cape Elizabeth, ME

In Response to review: In general, children's music these days tends to follow trends of pop music, with fast paced songs and lyrics. I am a strong proponent of the fact that when auditory comprehension is a goal, lyrics should be at a pace in which the child has ample opportunity to understand and follow instructions. Because our CD spans a fairly wide range of ages from infants to age 5 or 6, there are a variety of tempos to provide songs that are beneficial and can grow with the child. Songs in which sound production and following directions were a salient goal for the younger groups, used slow tempos that allowed for clearer pronunciation in the production. Some of the faster paced songs were meant for the older listeners. The beauty of using music for language learning is that many times, the children sing lyrics that teach and aren't even aware of the natural learning process taking place. When the specific instructions in the book regarding each song are followed, your child will be hearing and understanding all of these lyrics because we suggest that you use the story lines as a communicative opportunities to build language. -Laura

Here's what people are saying about Little Language:

"Your product is affordable, educational, teaches good social and language skills and prepares a child for school. I applaud you for your efforts." IHZ

"This product utilizes the latest brain research techniques and offers opportunities for interactive and cross-over techniques throughout the entire CD. I really enjoy using it in my workshops and children's story hours." Lisa Hoover, Educational Consultant and Children's Librarian

"I use your book as a quick reference for my own daughter all the time",S.A. Speech-Language Pathologist, CT."

"This information is something ALL parents should know about," P.M.,CA.

We are excited to announce that Wonder Years Magazine is doing a full feature article on our topic and a review of our product in the coming months! Also look for additional reviews by Frank Fogg, School Library Journal,and many others. Thank you!